There’s going to be yet again, a new reality television show. I like a bunch of the reality shows like Big Brother, Survivor, Tough Enough, and the original one, Real World. But most of them are trying to find their niche in an overflooded market. However, this new show has my attention for a couple reasons. First and foremost, my good friend Aubrey Aquino is one of the contestants. She and I have known each other since our days in Honors Humanities and Journalism classes at San Jose State. You may have heard her on the first few weeks of KNBR’s morning show with John London and another SJSU grad, Chris Townsend. She’s not on there anymore, but it’s not her wrong doing. Let’s just say she was way too smart for the position. She’s also on your television doing traffic reports. And most importantly for the males out there, she’s a former two-time Raiderette. Another reason for my plug is because it’s the one reality show that is sports oriented. And people can say that sports itself is a sort of reality television, but it’s not edited and taped for television meaning all the bad stuff isn’t weeded out. Oh how I wish last year’s entire Warriors season coud’ve been edited and spliced with footage from the Run TMC era.

Before I give you good stuff about when and where you can watch the show, I have a short story to tell. You see, Aubrey wasn’t always the one the camera was focused on. Actually, I can even say that I helped her get on TV. You see, about 5 years ago, SJSU basketball was on top of the world. Olivier Saint-Jean (now Tariq Abdul Wahed) carried a young Spartan hoops team into the NCAA tournament. Aubrey and I were so excited to see their game against the Kentucky Wildcats, who I think eventually went on the win the tournament. Aubrey and I decided to watch the first part of the game at the pub which meant skipping our Humanities lecture class. Big deal. We always skipped that class anyway because we had no idea what the professors were talking about. But, after that class was over, we were supposed to go to our seminar class and take a midterm. Instead of doing that last minute studying that almost never works, we decided to watch the game with other rowdy fans. Low and behold, KNTV 11 decided to do a story on how the campus was reacting to the team finally playing in the big time. I had no idea if I was really going to be on the news, but I remember out of the corner of my eye, the camera man closing in on Aubrey and I for a short while. I remember wondering why he was spending so much time shooting us when we were seemingly less rowdy than most the other fans. After the first half, we had to run to our seminar class for fear of missing the beginning of our test and decided to ask our professor if he could reschedule it so we could watch the game that SJSU was actually doing fairly well in. Of course, that bastard said no, so we had to take the test and when we finished, we found out, so were the Spartans. I know I said short story, but follow me.

I watched the news that night with a now ex-girlfriend who shall now and forever remain nameless. She had no idea why we were watching the news because we usually didn’t watch it much. Finally I saw the short story on the campus reaction to the basketball game and yup, Aubrey and I were the center of attention. I watched my face on TV and then the shot slowly glided over to a concerned Aubrey. She may have even been biting her finger nails in that shot. Always muggin’ for the camera. Anyway, after it being on her for a few more shots and for me only one more shot, I now and will go to my grave saying that if it wasn’t for me, Aubrey would’ve never been on TV. If she wasn’t sitting next to me in the pub watching the game, she would’ve never mugged for that camera, and the camera would’ve never liked her as much as it did. She might thank her years dancing with the Sacramento Kings Dance Team, or the Raiderettes, or maybe even her spot work before becoming the traffic reporter, but you read it here. Aubrey Aquino, owes her shot on this new game, Beg, Borrow, and Deal, all to her good old pal. But even her good old pal couldn’t get the results out of her.

This is how the show works. The eight contestants must go from NY to SF on their looks alone, but along the way complete ten tasks from this list.  The tasks range from shagging balls in a Major League Baseball team’s batting practice to playing one on one with a tennis pro. And you don’t have any money, or help. You have to beg, borrow, or deal. The show looks like it will be a ton of fun. So how do you see Aubrey? Well the show starts Tuesday, September 17th on ESPN at 5PM PST. Watch my friend Aubrey use her wit and determination to complete the tasks, and maybe even win the damn game.

Here’s one last look at her thoughts on the game and her career thus far at http://www.jademagazine.com/21ae_saebom.html.

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